The lucky stroke crippled me and gave me a new life. Now I'm just unbelievably good looking and modest. Always turn a little to the left.

2 Jul 2013

Abbott faces the bogeyman

Tim Colebatch; Edited S.W.T.Read

The landscape of Australian politics has changed dramatically. It is not only Kevin Rudd who now has to change the way he operates.Tony Abbott confronts a similar challenge , can he become a nice guy and stop his colleagues from carrying on with the diatribe they have been spewing out for the last two years, that is the question.

Rudd, of course, was really elected not to govern the country, but to lead an election campaign: at worst to reduce the losses Labor was facing under Julia Gillard, at best he has to try to pull off an improbable victory, but he has advantage he has policies.Can he pull of a victory - surely the most improbable since Paul Keating's ''sweetest victory of all'' in 1993.

But to win the election, he will have to impress us in governing the country. Voter land we are told always cared about his management in his previous term.In factI don't think they were bothered in the least about his management, if they were they have clearly forgiven him. This parliament will be less indulgent if insider leaks start telling us of similar problems the second time around.

The Abbott of liberal land now faces a dilemma.Now that he faces a more formidable opponent, on a honeymoon with the voters, does he continue with the sledgehammer negativity that proved so successful in undermining Gillard?Or does he put it behind him, and start explaining to us why he should be prime minister, rather than why Rudd should not?Tony you better load your guns with some other sort of ammunition because you are going to need it!The ammunition is policies, have we seen any,no nothing but a list of platitudes that tell us nothing.